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Is victimhood a Jewish value?

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Josh Hasten
Josh Hasten is a freelance journalist living in Gush Etzion. He is also a facilitator of pro-Israel media training sessions.
… [More]Josh is the author of “Itamar Makes Friends: A Children's Story of Jewish Brotherhood,” published in English and Hebrew by Gefen Publishing House http://gefenpublishing.com/product.asp?productid=957. [Less]

It is no secret that Jews have been victimized throughout world history. From ancient Egypt, to the Spanish Inquisition, the pogroms, and the Holocaust, millions of Jews have been murdered for their beliefs and heritage.

While the birth of the modern State of Israel certainly did not quell Anti-Semitism, the organization of a highly armed and astute Jewish army (under G-d) should lay to rest any notion that the Jewish Nation will ever again march like sheep to the slaughter.

That being said – even with an army and with a State, for some reason, we Jews can’t get enough of being the victim. Take a look at another definition of the word ‘victim,’ from the same source mentioned above:

For reasons that I can’t wrap my head around, in Israel today, Jews seem to have accepted a fate of suffering voluntarily.

Are we’re self-hating? Flat out imbeciles? Or maybe it’s more than that – maybe the whole notion of being the victim is embedded in our DNA’s and we just can’t help ourselves?

Whatever the reasons – and let me make it crystal clear, this phenomenon certainly hasn’t enveloped all of us, but overall we are making our own beds, and will have to sleep in them until (God forbid) we are murdered in our sleep.

Here are my proofs – while Israel is entrenched in US brokered peace talks with the PA, several PA officials have threatened to return to terror should they not get their way in the negotiations.

“Fatah has not abandoned the option of “armed resistance” if the peace talks with Israel fail.

“The year 2014 is the year of decision; we either go to a state or to a confrontation,” Rajoub said. “The confrontation would be on three fronts: launching and escalating resistance; boycotting and isolating Israel; and halting all forms of normalization [with Israel] on the political, academic, trade and economic levels.”

The option of resistance remains a strategic option for the Palestinians, he said.

“There is no doubt that Abu Mazen [Abbas] is now worthy of the title of the number one anti-Semitic leader in the world,” Steinitz said as he addressed the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv at the end of its two-day annual conference.

“One has to call a spade a spade. The level of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement has reached new heights,” he said.

“Not just against Israel, but against Jews, there is no other leader in the world who is inciting to such a degree…”

Abbas our “partner,” the MOST anti-Semitic leader in the world? That would mean he’s worse than the Iranian Mullahs, as well as the leaders of Hezbollah, and the heads of Hamas occupied Gaza.

So two senior officials representing our “peace partners” threaten us with yet another war of terror, and the leader of the group himself is a flaming anti-Semite, yet somehow according to our Defense Minister, Ya’alon in today’s news, the talks will continue???

The defense minister, who has expressed deep skepticism about chances of success in the Kerry-led negotiations, said that “despite the gaps, we support a continuation of negotiations with the Palestinians.”

I can’t explain this madness. We are listening, we absorb the information, and yet we carry on business as usual.

I have yet to find any sources indicating that Jews must value or perpetuate our roles as victims. But it continues. If this sick mentality doesn’t change, we will once again very very soon suffer the consequences.

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